Orca Sports Teachers’ Guide
Hurricane Power
orca sports
Sigmund Brouwer
Reading level: 3.2
978-1-55143-865-8 pb
AR Quiz # 40651
Book Summary
When David’s family moves from northern Ontario to Miami, Florida, it takes him less
than a day to discover how out of place he is in his new neighborhood. Everything is
different in Miami—for one thing, there’s no hockey. For another, David’s family lives in
a rough area of town and his doctor father works in a clinic for underprivileged people.
David joins his school’s track team, hoping to make new friends, but soon he is pulled
into a schoolwide web of secrecy and danger. David has no experience of gangs, sabotage
and violence, and the one person who can help him keeps running away.
Prereading Ideas
• Moving is one of the most stressful things you can do, especially if it’s far away
from everything you’re familiar with. Ask students to consider what they would
miss most if they had to move and how they would cope with a new place. Have
any of them already faced this particular challenge? If so, ask them to share their
experiences.
• Intolerance cuts across all levels of society. Ask students if they have ever witnessed
intolerance—racism, homophobia, religious bigotry. How did it make them feel
and what did they do about it?
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Orca Sports Teachers’ Guide
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Connecting to the Text
Plot and character
• Ask students to write down a list of all the things they find out in the first two
chapters. Then ask them if the author uses exposition (telling) or action (showing)
to impart the information. For example, the narrator tells us he has a little brother
and that he has recently moved to Miami, but he shows us that he is a fast runner.
• How is suspense created in Hurricane Power? Is it effective as a way of keeping the
plot moving? Would it help to know some things sooner?
Connecting to the Curriculum
History
• David has recently come to Miami from Canada. When he goes to his American
History class, he hears about the War of 1812 from a different perspective. Have
students consider whether historical events are always open to interpretation, and
if so, can we ever know the truth about the past?
• The “Star Spangled Banner” was composed by Francis Scott Key during the War
of 1812. Have each student pick a country and research its national anthem. Ask
them to read a stanza or two to the class and talk about when it was written and by
whom.
Social Studies
• David says that in Canada, “people don’t get shot at much.” Is this true?
Compare the gun laws in Canada and the US. Is “the right to bear arms” an
old-fashioned concept or does it still have relevance?
• David seems surprised that Carlos and his family are illegal immigrants.
Is illegal immigration a problem in Canada? Or is David just naïve?
• Ask students to research how many illegal immigrants are thought to be living in
the US. Have them debate whether illegal immigrants benefit or harm a country.
• Is it racist to remark on or imitate someone’s accent? Have students find two
instances in Hurricane Power where characters comment on each other’s accents.
Are the comments racist or not?
Computer Science
David and Carlos uncover a ring of computer hackers. How do companies and
organizations protect themselves against computer hackers? How can the public feel
confident that their personal information is safe?
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orca sports
Orca Sports Teachers’ Guide
Connecting to the Students—Discussion Questions
1. What harm, if any, is there in giving kids toy guns (even water pistols) to play with?
Are violent video games simply the technological equivalent of playing with toy
guns?
2. What can you do when you are confronted with the unfairness of life? For example, when David realizes that he and Carlos have been born into different worlds,
he tries to help him any way he can.
3. What is the appropriate response when someone insults your faith or beliefs? Why
do some people go to war over religion and other don’t?
4. Is it ever okay for a young person to be in charge of his family’s welfare, the way
Carlos is? How much responsibility is too much?
Resources
History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_Spangled_Banner
www.warof1812.ca
www.visit1812.com
Guns
www.panda.com/canadaguns
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_States
www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2009/08/toy_guns_that_look_
realistic_c.html
http://kids-toys.suite101.com/article.cfm/toy_guns_violence_and_parents
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR20070223
01749.html
Immigration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hacker.htm
www.marvquin.com/blog/top-five-5-best-criminal-computer-hackers-all-time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft
Orca Book Publishers • www.orcabook.com • 1-800-210-5277
Orca Sports Teachers’ Guide
Author Biography
Sigmund Brouwer is the bestselling author of many books for children and teens. He
has contributed numerous titles to the Orca Currents series, the Orca Echoes series
and the Orca Sports series. He and his family live in Red Deer, Alberta, and Eagleville,
Tennessee.
orca sports
Author Website
www.coolreading.com
Orca Book Publishers • www.orcabook.com • 1-800-210-5277